photographs, thoughts, and musical insights from ian d. merritt

eddie and sarah’s

the photography:most nights i come home from a long day at work and i feed and walk the dog. after he chomps down his nightly meal, we head out on (depending on the weather) a fantastic voyage that leads us past barking dogs, crazy ladies on porches, and right past one rather weird church. it is a ritual of ours to soak in all of the local sites and for him to relieve himself. me, i just bask in the glow of his charming swagger, his puppy-ish good looks, and his knack for scaring the crap out of sheepish dog owners who think he’s tough. it’s cathartic and wonderful and i do it every day i am home. i look forward to our time together and today was no exception. we are like a couple of school kids on the way home from a long day of art class and gym. we always take the long way home and he loves to stop and sniff the dirt. it’s great.

when i got married a couple of years ago my friends came out to the far northeastern part of the country to support me on my big day. i returned the favor for some good friends a year or so later. we traveled down to north carolina to witness something really special. i grabbed a ton of candid shots from the crowd. it is really fun to go to weddings when you know you are not on the clock. this wedding in particular had it all, perfect weather, a perfect crowd, a great ceremony, and it was a fantastic spot. awesome indeed.

the music: i love leo kotke. he may not be the only musician that my father and i agree on but he is probably the only living musician that we love for the same reasons. also, he’s one of the few performers that my father, my brother and i have seen independently of each other. this song shows off not only his virtuosity as a musician but also his pipes as a singer (a rarity). it’s a truly beautiful song.